What is Glucosamine and What are its Benefits?
Glucosamine, as the name suggests, is an amino sugar. It is a compound made of glucose and the amino acid glutamine. This sugar amine combo is naturally present in the cartilage of our body, ensuring that it keeps its health and resilience.
Since Glucosamine is not available in human diet, it can only be ingested as a supplement. Glucosamine as a supplement is used by two kinds of people: older people with diseases like osteoarthritis, and sports persons.
In osteoarthritis in older people, especially knee osteoarthritis, the cartilage cushioning the joints becomes stiff and inelastic. There is also natural wear and tear of the connective tissue and cartilage. This makes the joint hurt, swell up and refuse to move easily. Research is pointing to promising evidence that Glucosamine supplement might help in these cases.
Use of Glucosamine decreases the natural wear and tear in our joints, and thus possibly reverses the effects of diseases like osteoarthritis. As we age, our body has a lower supply of natural Glucosamine, and a supplement becomes essential.
Including a supplement of Glucosamine for the treatment of osteoarthritis is better than exclusively taking pain-mangement drugs like NSAID( Non- Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug). This is because unlike the NSAIDs which simply trick the body into not registering pain signals, Glucosamine promotes the production of proteins, which help repair the damaged connective tissue.
In cases of joint pains for sports persons, Glucosamine could be helpful because it can work on the repair of connective tissue and cartilage damaged due to excessive workouts of certain joints.
The supplement Glucosamine along with chondroitin sulfate, another sort of molecule naturally occurring in our cartilage, is said to be more useful both for sports persons and older people suffering from osteoarthritis. Chondroitin restores some of the cartilage elasticity and is thought to prevent the destruction of cartilage by enzymes.
It is important that the Glucosamine supplement be taken while the cartilage damage is still limited, so you have to start with the medication at the early stages of pain to see fast improvement.
Glucosamine supplements usually have mild side effects like drowsiness or nausea. Those allergic to shellfish should avoid the Glucosamine derived from shellfish and only take Glucosamine supplements derived from non-shellfish sources.
Since Glucosamine is a naturally occurring substance in the human body, it is a godsend to those with osteoarthritis or joint pains, and a healthier alternative to other synthetic products.
